Transformations

Gift Gives Students Edge

"You're the ones who are going to run our industries"

The College of Engineering now has two $5 million endowed positions: the Opus Deanship sponsored by the Opus Corp. and the Greenheck Chair.

He went on from Marquette to found America’s leading manufacturer of ventilation equipment, Greenheck Fan Corp., with annual sales in excess of $350 million. But Robert Greenheck says he never forgot the education that was “a critical element” in his success.

The 1950 mechanical engineering graduate came back to campus in May to make a $5 million gift to establish the Robert C. Greenheck Chair in Engineering Design. Additionally, the Greenheck Engineering Lab was unveiled, featuring a state-of-the-art closed-loop wind tunnel. Located in the lower level of Patrick E. Haggerty Hall, every mechanical engineering student will have opportunities to gain wind tunnel experience and practice university-level research.

Joined by his wife, Ruth, at the dedication, Greenheck spoke to students: “Learn everything you can about engineering but don’t stop there. Consider going on to increase your knowledge in finance, marketing and communication. You’re the ones who are going to run our industries, but only if you’re trained to do it.”

That philosophy fits the intent of the enhanced engineering curriculum of today, says Opus Engineering Dean Stanley Jaskolski. The Greenheck Chair will lead a multidisciplinary team of faculty charged with creating opportunities for students to apply the traditional engineering curriculum’s theoretical knowledge base to real-world problems, such as modeling, uncertainty and resource constraints. “We believe this will enable our graduates to make an immediate contribution to industrial innovation,” Jaskolski says.